The Pirate's Dilemma - Changing the Game Theory

In the final chapter of Matt Mason's book, The Pirates Dilemma, Mason summarizes his points about piracy and its benefits to the social media culture in the past century. He discusses how piracy drives human innovation either to combat piracy or improve media integration into everyday life. Mason touches upon the radio DJs, the remixed culture, and youth counter-cultures of the last half of the 20th century. Mason argues that mass culture needs to look at, analyze, and touch upon youth cultures and look at how they influence media on a day-to-day basis. He argues that piracy and youth culture go hand in hand but they do not act in self interest but the opposite. In today's world of media, either you are a pirate or you will be targeted by one.

"Because all these ideas are coming together in the wider world at the same time, a new period of chaos has ensued as the Information Age has grown into a petulant teenager itself. Now we are all capable of acting like pirates, or being devoured by them. Now we all have to consider what the new conditions of this difficult adolescence mean, and how we should approach them." (Mason, 2008, 232)

Mason's quote outlines the way people react to new media as a means of sharing information across the Web. The Web was created as a means to openly contribute and share the information that is put fourth no matter what kind. People cannot expect to add information via the Web without expecting knowing that their information is going to be looked at and shared. We can't lie. The reason we put information out there is for people to see either subconsciously or consciously. There is no way around it. Unless people want their information shared with hundreds or even thousands, keep it on paper...and don't let it fall into a scanner.

People and pirates alike cannot act in self interest over the Web. The answer to the Pirate's Dilemma lies in the game theory of working together to achieve the best goal right for everyone. If everyone assumes that everyone is acting in self interest, they too will act in self interest for what is best for them. In the end, doing so will result in both parties getting the short end of the stick. The theory behind acting in self interest dominates the forces of politics, economics, decision making, and psychology. Yes, everyone knows musicians, artists, and media industries hate piracy and would love to destroy it. But really, the answer to stopping piracy is not awareness and it certainly isn't tainting files with spyware. The answer is, there isn't anything anyone can do about it except accept it. Awareness doesn't work. Nobody cares, seriously. If people can get away with stealing something they want with no remorse, they'll do it. If people actually cared about the industry they were stealing from, they would actually pay to support it. They should feel lucky that half the people willing to rip off the media industry aren't able to either because they don't know how or because they don't have the right software. That is why people still shoplift CDs and DVDs, then get caught. Piracy is not encouraged and it certainly isn't tolerated but really, what more can people do? It's the easiest and, sometimes, the only way for people to obtain media and consume it.

Yes, piracy is needed but to a certain extent. One pirate will not obstruct the entire media industry but people who feel the need to become pirates themselves are not only putting themselves at risk but also putting the industry at risk. One opposed to one billion pirates is a huge difference but it is also hypothetical. In short, don't be a pirate...but support them.